One moderately interesting tweet I saw, and several replies, wondering about the tech companies denying involvement in PRISM. My immediate assumption was just that PR had (intentionally) not been informed. Regardless, it seems the story is well confirmed at this point.

You know what I like about all of these political controversies? I get to learn a whole boatload of names I didn't know before. Lois Lerner, Jake Clapper, Eric Schmidt (no, I didn't know nor did I care)...

It has the effect of making me want desperately to do the opposite of what Green Day is suggesting I should want to do. Billy Joe Whassname may have created a generation of war mongers. - Jason L

Honestly, at this point it is hard for me to muster the outrage. I burned out my outrage in 2006-2008, when the wiretapping was publicly revealed and then immunity was granted to collaborators in the telecoms industry. At that point, I pretty much figured that they get anything and everything that we do. And, yeah, they do get everything. I'm not in favor, I'm just so tired and unsurprised that it's hard to get my outrage on.

I know that some of what they're reporting now was not previously reported, and so maybe it's news, but I just kind of made some reasonable assumptions and filled in the blanks.

"There are so few people at the Federal Mall it's almost as empty as it was at Trump's inauguration."
--D.A. Ridgely

BTW, why is it that every report assumes that this is all being done to track terrorist activity? I imagine they're tracking all sorts of activities besides terrorism. And given how rare terrorists are, and how common all sorts of other interesting activities are (both legal and illegal), I'd imagine that most of what the NSA finds has zilch to do with terrorism.

Oh, and they're presumably reading this forum right now.

"There are so few people at the Federal Mall it's almost as empty as it was at Trump's inauguration."
--D.A. Ridgely

thoreau wrote:Honestly, at this point it is hard for me to muster the outrage. I burned out my outrage in 2006-2008, when the wiretapping was publicly revealed and then immunity was granted to collaborators in the telecoms industry. At that point, I pretty much figured that they get anything and everything that we do. And, yeah, they do get everything. I'm not in favor, I'm just so tired and unsurprised that it's hard to get my outrage on.

I know that some of what they're reporting now was not previously reported, and so maybe it's news, but I just kind of made some reasonable assumptions and filled in the blanks.

I agree completely.

My frustration rests with everyone, family included, who didn't believe me when I said it was going on back in the 00's. Now everyone seems to be finally coming around too late.

My only hope is that because of the timing, with everything else coming out about out intellegence community, that reform on the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 will finally gain traction...

thoreau wrote:Honestly, at this point it is hard for me to muster the outrage. I burned out my outrage in 2006-2008, when the wiretapping was publicly revealed and then immunity was granted to collaborators in the telecoms industry. At that point, I pretty much figured that they get anything and everything that we do. And, yeah, they do get everything. I'm not in favor, I'm just so tired and unsurprised that it's hard to get my outrage on.

I know that some of what they're reporting now was not previously reported, and so maybe it's news, but I just kind of made some reasonable assumptions and filled in the blanks.

Serious question: there really isn't anything preventing Glenn Greenwald from being droned, is there? To be clear, I am totally opposed to such a thing, but the logic of the Administration would seem to dictate that there is no legal obstacle to it.

It has the effect of making me want desperately to do the opposite of what Green Day is suggesting I should want to do. Billy Joe Whassname may have created a generation of war mongers. - Jason L

Serious question: there really isn't anything preventing Glenn Greenwald from being droned, is there? To be clear, I am totally opposed to such a thing, but the logic of the Administration would seem to dictate that there is no legal obstacle to it.

He might want to take up residence in a Bolivian embassy. Droning an embassy is (for now) against the rules.

"There are so few people at the Federal Mall it's almost as empty as it was at Trump's inauguration."
--D.A. Ridgely